video cards
A video card that is sufficient for text may not be good enough
for displaying graphic images, especially in color. If all your
scanned images look coarse on your monitor, you may want to
upgrade your video card. You will need 24-bit color, also called
true color or millions of colors, for the best display of images.
The resolution of your monitor, of course, also affects the
quality of the image you see. Consider a high resolution
monitor if you do precise color work, but first be sure you have
the right video card.
File compression software
Many different programs are available to make image files
smaller for storage or transmission. For example, they can
enable you to store a 3MB image file on a floppy disk. Some
compression software can compress images and restore them
with no loss of data or quality; others compress images more,
but the restored file is not exactly the same as the original. The
difference between the original and restored files is, however,
not always noticeable.
Scanner Basics 2-17
